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Artful, communal Midtown space bound for MARTA station Josh Green Wed, 01/31/2024 - 08:14 North Avenue MARTA station’s days as a rather drab concrete bunker are numbered.

Beginning in February, weather permitting, a section of the centrally located, multimodal facility and its plaza will be enlivened with an art mural and performance stage fashioned from a former shipping container, according to officials with transportation company Norfolk Southern, which is headquartered across the street and is footing the bill.

Selected for the commission by Norfolk Southern and Midtown Alliance is Roswell-based artist Carla Contreras, 32. She was also picked as the Fortune 500 company’s first artist-in-residence when its Midtown headquarters building opened in 2021.

The two components of the installation will be a mural on the station’s north face—near the Fox Theatre, facing Ponce de Leon Avenue and Norfolk Southern’s glassy high-rise headquarters—along with a 30-foot-long shipping container provided by Midtown Alliance.

The shipping container will function as a performing arts stage near new plaza seating.  

The north-facing section of the MARTA station in question, as it appears today. Google Maps

It’s being designed and built by Anthony Pope of Atelier7 Architects, the same firm behind BeltLine MarketPlace pop-up retail locations and Pittsburgh Yards’ Container Courtyard concept.

According to Contreras, the symbolism-heavy mural will depict a surreal landscape with windblown maple seeds at sunset.

The design “derives inspiration from maple seeds in the spring and celebrates the revival and activation of Midtown’s public spaces through uplifting and symbolic artistic interventions that elevate our public life and interactions,” said Contreras, a native of Ecuador, in a project description. “This dynamic and bright concept features the formal and conceptual beauty of Maple seeds blowing in the wind—as a symbol of outreach, hope, renewal, and thriving energy of Midtown and its people.”

Norfolk Southern; designs, Atelier7 Architects

Norfolk Southern reps say the project is a gift from the company to the City of Atlanta at no cost to the public.

Should the installation stick to schedule, the project will be finished by the end of March. Midtown Alliance plans to organize a public unveiling and celebration sometime this spring.

Contreras’ tenure as Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta artist-in-residence will end this summer, when the company announces its next artist to set up shop in a rent-free Midtown space at the headquarters complex. The company held an open call for applicants (with stipulations) that closed in October.

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• Midtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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MARTA MARTA Stations North Avenue MARTA Station Carla Contreras Norfolk Southern Public Art Atlanta Murals Shipping Containers North Avenue Anthony Pope Atelier 7

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The north-facing section of the MARTA station in question, as it appears today. Google Maps

Norfolk Southern; designs, Atelier7 Architects

Subtitle Plans for enlivened plaza include a shipping container, performance stage

Neighborhood Midtown

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15-acre village scores approval south of Atlanta airport Josh Green Tue, 01/30/2024 - 15:24 Nonprofit organization Christian City is moving forward with plans for a 15-acre, mixed-use village next to its sprawling campus about 10 miles southwest of Atlanta’s airport.

Plans call for blending retail with a mix of residential and office uses, park space, plazas, and more at a wooded site in Union City where Ga. Highway 138 meets Peters Road, just east of Interstate 85 and north of Trilith.

Christian City was founded in 1965 by members of Christian churches in the metro as a refuge for children in need; the campus has since swelled to 500 acres, with accommodations for multigenerational residents in Union City, a south Fulton County city of roughly 27,000.

Union City officials approved zoning for the 15-acre expansion last month.

Location of Christian City's planned expansion where Ga. Highway 138 meets Peters Road, in relation to Atlanta's airport and southwest OTP landmarks. Google Maps

Christian City officials say the project is being designed—in partnership with architect Jeff Floyd and Millard Choate of Choate Construction—to be “highly walkable and enjoyable for pedestrians, with a roundabout and parallel parking that slows down cars,” according to an announcement today. (That’s despite the abundance of surface parking in the initial site plan.) Plans also call for linking the mixed-use village with a new Union City multi-use pathway and a golf cart path to the rest of Christian City.

Beyond greenspaces that could host wellness classes, communal movie nights, and other events, Christian City hopes to build neighborhood retail, townhomes, medical offices, loft-style residences over retail, self-storage facilities, and an early learning center, which would be operated in partnership with the YMCA. Other facets could include a communal library.

Today, Christian City’s campus lends crisis intervention, housing, healthcare, and other supportive services to kids, youths, and seniors of all faiths—or no faith. According to the organization, more than 1,000 people call the community home today.

Other recent Christian City projects include four housing units called THRIVE cottages for people ages 18 to 24 as they receive career, housing, and life skills training as young adults.

Wooded location of the new development plans next to existing Christian City facilities. Google Maps

The proposal's location off Interstate 85, at left. Google Maps

Floyd, the expansion’s architect, previously lent a hand in designing projects such as Centennial Olympic Park and Smyrna Market Village.

“With its location on the city line, this project has the opportunity to be a new gateway for Union City—a place for the community to gather, congregate, play games, and connect with one another,” said Floyd in a prepared statement. “When completed, this place will feel like a living room for the community to hang out and spend time together.”

Here's a look at Christian City's 15-acre site plan in detail: 

Courtesy of Christian City

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• Union City news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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Ga. Highway 138 and Peters Road Union City Christian City Choate Construction Mixed-Use Development YMCA Jeff Floyd THRIVE cottages Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Fulton County South Fulton

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Location of Christian City's planned expansion where Ga. Highway 138 meets Peters Road, in relation to Atlanta's airport and southwest OTP landmarks. Google Maps

Wooded location of the new development plans next to existing Christian City facilities. Google Maps

The proposal's location off Interstate 85, at left. Google Maps

Subtitle Mixed uses planned beside Christian City’s massive Union City campus

Neighborhood Southside

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Wave of new housing brewing for Summerhill parking lots Josh Green Tue, 01/30/2024 - 11:00 The Atlanta developer that’s transformed Summerhill’s business district from barren parking lots and empty buildings following the Braves’ departure is setting its sights on a new phase of housing in multiple forms.

That’s according to developer Carter’s executive vice president, David Nelson, who brought nascent plans this month for a mix of apartments, townhomes, and student housing before the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, a volunteer community oversight group.

While it’s so early in the process that no development plans have been drawn, Nelson said the projects would rise in three separate locations just north of Georgia Avenue—all of them former Turner Field parking lots.

Nelson’s purpose before the board was to request a formal letter of support from the neighborhood.

Carter's three potential development sites in question. Google Maps/UA

For starters, Carter is beginning to put together a multifamily development on the north side of Summerhill’s new Publix, shown roughly as No. 1 in the above image.

How many units that might include wasn’t specified, but early plans call for a small amount of retail space—roughly 700 square feet—to be included, according to Jan. 4 ONS meeting minutes obtained by Urbanize Atlanta.

Meanwhile, across Hank Aaron Drive to the west, Carter will be proposing to build more student housing, with roughly 300 units and 650 beds, as shown as No. 2 in the above image.  

That would rise just north of the 565 Hank by Windsor Apartments, on parking lots currently leased to Grady Hospital staff for parking.

As shown in September, looking toward downtown, the 565 Hank apartments (at left) and the point at which Publix-anchored development ends, with new bike lanes in front. Google Maps

Lastly, according to Nelson, the development firm is considering building townhomes on a smaller parking lot that fronts Georgia Avenue, across the street from businesses including Hero Doughnuts and Buns, Maggie Murphy’s salon, and D Boca N Boca. No further details about the potential townhomes were provided.

During the meeting, neighbors voiced concerns about additional traffic; Nelson replied the housing will include a parking deck offering an amount of space similar to what’s currently being leased by Grady as surface parking.  

As a benefit to the neighborhood, according to Carter’s estimations, each parcel developed will reduce stormwater runoff by 50 percent, by way of engineered mitigation.

At the meeting, 30 ONS members voted in favor of drafting a letter of support for Carter’s plans, while three were not in favor, and four abstained.

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• Summerhill news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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Carter Publix Publix Super Markets Hero Doughnuts Hank Aaron Drive Georgia Avenue 565 Hank 565 Hank Aaron Drive Student Housing townhomes Atlanta Townhomes Atlanta Townhouses Atlanta apartments Organized Neighbors of Summerhill

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Carter's three potential development sites in question. Google Maps/UA

As shown in September, looking toward downtown, the 565 Hank apartments (at left) and the point at which Publix-anchored development ends, with new bike lanes in front. Google Maps

Subtitle Carter floats early plans for redeveloping former Turner Field lots

Neighborhood Summerhill

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Photos: Inside Decatur Housing Authority's modernized new home Josh Green Tue, 01/30/2024 - 07:57 Passengers on MARTA’s elevated rail line just west of the Historic Decatur Square may have wondered what the sharp-lined new structure is greeting them at eye-level like something from the pages of Dwell.

The answer could surprise: It’s the new home of an agency devoted to providing accessible housing and greater equality, established in the DeKalb County seat nearly a century ago.

The Decatur Housing Authority recently moved into their new home at 511 W. Trinity Place on the western fringes of downtown. The distinctively modern, 12,000-square-foot facility replaced a long-vacant lot and is designed to feel urban, with its street-oriented stance and small, landscaped parking area tucked behind the building for DHA staff.

According to the design team at PRAXIS3 architecture, the location presented infrastructure challenges but was strategic, in that it’s located within walking distance of many of DHA’s largest properties, including the Trinity Walk Apartments, Allen Wilson Apartments, and Swanton Heights Apartments. 

Topped with solar panels, the two-story structure was designed to use passive solar shading technology throughout both levels, which contain a resident training center, client and administrative offices, and DHA board and meeting rooms.

The ceramic wall, shown at bottom left, includes images of various DHA buildings. Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

The site of DHA's 12,000-square-foot new home at 511 W. Trinity Place, just west of the city's historic square. Google Maps

According to its architects, the structure takes design cues from a nearby school administration building but maintains an approachably modern, open façade, with an entrance that recalls “an abstract residential structure” and lively interiors with no shortage of natural light.  

“We’re very proud of the building and of the good work that DHA does in the City of Decatur,” said David Hamilton, a principal with PRAXIS3, a firm whose other recent work includes the BeltLine-fronting Madison at Reynoldstown project and Grant Park’s Glencastle, a reimagining of the old Atlanta Stockade complex.

Construction on the DHA headquarters, led by contractor Headley Construction Corp., spanned between January 2022 and October. The total cost wasn’t specified this week.

Established in 1938, the DHA’s mission is to develop affordable, workforce housing while increasing economic and racial diversity in Decatur. It’s developed or assisted in the development of more than 800 homes since 2000—representing an investment of $103 million in Decatur—and chalked up awards from the likes of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and Atlanta’s Southface Institute along the way.

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Today, DHA owns and manages 524 rental units in Decatur, assists with 166 senior housing units, and oversees more than 1,100 housing choice vouchers in DeKalb County, for a total of 1,808 families assisted, according to the agency.

Find a closer look at DHA’s new HQ in the gallery above.
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511 West Trinity Place Decatur Decatur Housing Authority Decatur Housing Authority offices Swanton Heights Apartments Praxis3 Headley Construction Corp. Kimley-Horn & Associates Kimley-Horn Nannis & Associates Westside Engineering SK Collaborative TLC Engineering Solutions DHA City of Decatur Affordable Housing Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta Architecture Trinity Walk Apartments Allen Wilson Apartments

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The site of DHA's 12,000-square-foot new home at 511 W. Trinity Place, just west of the city's historic square. Google Maps

The West Trinity Place facade, with the elevated MARTA line pictured at right. Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

The ceramic wall, shown at bottom left, includes images of various DHA buildings. Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Beyond PRAXIS3, the development team included Headley Construction Corp., Kimley-Horn, Nannis & Associates, Westside Engineering, SK Collaborative, and TLC Engineering Solutions.Rion Rizzo, Rizzo Creative Sources Photography

Subtitle Strategically located HQ building occupies long-vacant site on edge of downtown

Neighborhood Decatur

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Developers mum on big proposals near finished BeltLine sections Josh Green Mon, 01/29/2024 - 14:26 When it comes to reader requests for development updates, two of the biggest hits in recent years share a few commonalities: Both projects stand to benefit from proximity to finished BeltLine sections. Both would deliver a substantial dose of new housing on derelict industrial properties. And both have pretty much gone dormant—at least publicly—since 2022.

Should they come to fruition as planned, the block-altering developments would delivery nearly 500 more housing options to neighborhoods on the flipside of downtown—Reynoldstown and Oakland City—within a few steps of the BeltLine.

Multiple requests for updates submitted this month to development teams behind both projects were not returned. But other clues suggest neither should be counted out.

Here’s a quick rundown:

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Reynoldstown

How the southwest corner of the project would meet the BeltLine, with pathways between. Perkins&Will via Metzger & Co./submitted

Address: 930 Mauldin St. SE

Scope, at last check: 142 apartments in six stories, with three slots for retail totaling 2,700 square feet, facing both the Eastside Trail and the street; a new public-accessible greenspace; 167 parking spaces, or one per bedroom.

Expected delivery: Unspecified

Back in summer 2022, developers Metzger & Co. shared a revised, Perkins & Will-designed development vision with Reynoldstown neighbors for a vacant industrial property 930 Mauldin St.—one of the last large development sites left along Reynoldstown’s section of the BeltLine. (Years prior, two proposals by the same developer at the site never moved forward. One was killed by the Great Recession’s economic collapse, the other by fervent neighborhood pushback.)

But as blocks around the property have transformed with new housing, including standalone homes, condos, and townhomes, the Metzger & Co. venture has yet to take off.

A source tells Urbanize Atlanta the developer is still slowly moving forward, recently updating a site survey and conducting subsurface testing.

City of Atlanta building records show no recent activity for the Mauldin Street address.

Street-level view with retail from the project's southeast corner, with the Eastside Trail on the bridge at left. Perkins&Will via Metzger & Co./submitted

The southeast corner of the proposal, with the BeltLine trail depicted on the Fulton Terrace bridge at left. Perkins&Will via Metzger & Co./submitted

According to LoopNet, the 1.3-acre site is home to a 31,000-square-foot industrial building now. It last sold for $2.2 million back in 2006—a pittance by today’s standards for Eastside Trail-adjacent acreage.

Quick history: Back in 2008, the BeltLine and Atlanta City Council approved a three-story, 108-unit building that Metzger & Co. had brought to the table, but it never went forward. Eight years later, the developer pitched a larger project with 40 more apartments and about twice the height. City officials and neighborhood leaders vocally criticized that proposal’s lack of affordable housing, how it didn’t interface well with the BeltLine, and for what they called poor construction meant for a 20-year life cycle. A rezoning application was unanimously rejected at an NPU meeting, and the project fizzled.

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Oakland City

How the project would front a proposed BeltLine spur trail through the warehouse district. Vida Companies/ Woodfield Development; designs, Dynamik Design

Address: 840 Woodrow St. SW

Scope, at last check: 301 apartments and 25 townhomes, plus roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space in two buildings; 450 parking spaces.

Expected delivery, as of 2022: December 2024

Around Thanksgiving 2022, developers seemed optimistic this sizable proposal would break ground in a matter of months, lending a more residential feel to what’s now an underused industrial zone most recently used for car and truck storage.

Multifamily developers Vida Companies and Woodfield Development plan to build a village-like mix of commercial and residential structures on the 7-acre Oakland City site about a block west of the paved Westside Trail, adjacent to the historic (and also dormant) Murphy Crossing property.

Plans called for turning one standing building into commercial space, while building another from the ground up, for a total of 20,000 square feet. Vida officials told Urbanize Atlanta the goal was to provide 20 percent of the units as inclusionary housing, more than is required by the BeltLine Overlay District. Those housing options would be capped for renters earning 80 percent of the area’s median income, per plans submitted to the BeltLine Development Review Committee.

The property has been rezoned from a light industrial to multifamily residential district, allowing for high-density housing, per the BeltLine DRC. Plans also call for a BeltLine spur trail to run along the southern edge of the property.

A demolition permit for a one-story building on site was issued a year ago but has since expired, according to City of Atlanta Office of Buildings records.

No permitting or building paperwork for the address in question has been filed since.

Plans now call for a mix of new development and existing structures. Vida Companies/ Woodfield Development; designs, Dynamik Design

Facades of commercial spaces, apartments, and townhomes. Vida Companies/ Woodfield Development; designs, Dynamik Design

Developers have previously said they hope to enter the project into the Georgia Brownfield Program, which helps fund cleanup of contaminated sites with federal grants. An initial analysis “flagged recognized environmental conditions on the property from historical uses,” per earlier filings.

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930 Mauldin Street SE Metzger & Co. BeltLine Development Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail Cabbagetown 90 Mauldin Associates Stein Steel Perkins & Will Perkins&Will 840 Woodrow Street SW Woodfield Development Dentons David Pirkle Vida Companies Murphy Crossing Westside Trail Affordable Housing Oakland City Adair Park West End Southside Trail Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Dynamik Design Reynoldstown

Subtitle Projects in Reynoldstown, Oakland City would bring nearly 500 residences total

Neighborhood Oakland City

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Construction on southside food hall officially kicks off next week Josh Green Mon, 01/29/2024 - 12:49 Fourteen months after initial plans came to light, a Peoplestown mixed-use district that hopes to capitalize on an influx of investment, population, and future transportation alternatives south of downtown is set to officially move forward.

Representatives with Terminal South, an adaptive-reuse mix of retail and office space spanning about 46,000 square feet, send word today the project’s official groundbreaking is scheduled for the morning of Feb. 8, a week from Thursday.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is scheduled to lead the ceremony.

More tenant announcements are also expected to be made in coming days, according to project reps. Though it hasn’t started construction, Terminal South has signed more than 10 food-and-beverage concepts that plan to set up shop in two former southside warehouses on dead-end Ridge Avenue.

Overview of the site where MARTA's first bus-rapid transit line, the BeltLine's Southside Trail, and Terminal South's food hall and future apartments are planned to converge. Courtesy of Stafford Properties

The southside’s first food hall—called Switchman Hall—will consume the larger of those two buildings, totaling about 15,500 square feet.

Switchman Hall had originally called for 11 stalls when the project was unveiled in late 2022; plans were modified last year to 18 stalls, ranging from roughly 350 to 730 square feet, following strong interest in smaller retail slots, developers Stafford Properties have said.  

The project will neighbor the final stop on MARTA’s first bus-rapid transit route—a 4.8-mile connection to downtown—while the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor is across the street, to the south. (BeltLine officials are optimistic construction on that final Southside Trail segment to be built will start this spring.) 

Stafford officials announced in October the project had inked its first full-service restaurant, PÜR Zen Mimosa Wine Bar, which operates an original location in McDonough. Plans call for it to feature a patio facing Hank Aaron Drive, with lunch and dinner served Tuesday through Friday and brunch and dinner on weekends.

Courtesy of Stafford Properties; designs, NO Architecture

Food hall additions also unveiled last fall include the first intown location of Smooth N Groove, featuring more than 20 smoothie options, juices, and wraps; DM Sliders (get it?), a new concept serving more than 20 slider-style sandwiches; and Flat-Out Flatbreads, with a dozen flatbreads on the menu.   

Other confirmed tenants include Southern Grace (currently a food truck), Perfect Seasoning (a Jamaican concept with its first location at Selig’s The Works), the next location of The Original Hot Dog Factory, Flower Paradise, Life Bistro, Sabu K Ramen, and Korean street food concept Tiger K Cup Bob.

Terminal South was originally forecasted to start opening in summer 2024; officials tell Urbanize Atlanta this week the new target for opening is sometime this fall.

The BRT route's turnaround next to the food hall. Courtesy of Stafford Properties

Eventual plans call for more than food offerings and office space.

Stafford is also planning to develop hundreds of multifamily rentals on a vacant, formerly industrial parcel next door, in hopes of encouraging more residential growth in the area.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported last month Stafford plans to deliver those 350 to 425 units in early 2027.

Find more Terminal South context and imagery in the gallery above.

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1111 Ridge Avenue Terminal South Switchman Hall Peoplestown Food Hall Mixed-Use Development BRT Bus-Rapid Transit Southside Trail Atlanta BeltLine Food Halls Atlanta Food Halls NO Architecture Stafford Properties The Original Hot Dog Factory Perfect Seasoning Southern Grace Southside

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Overview of the site where MARTA's first bus-rapid transit line, the BeltLine's Southside Trail, and Terminal South's food hall and future apartments are planned to converge. Courtesy of Stafford Properties

The BRT route's turnaround next to the food hall. Courtesy of Stafford Properties

Courtesy of Stafford Properties; designs, NO Architecture

Courtesy of Stafford Properties

Courtesy of Stafford Properties

Courtesy of Stafford Properties

Overview of the site plan for Terminal South's two warehouse buildings. Stall counts have since been revised. Terminal South/Stratford Properties

The Ridge Avenue buildings targeted for redevelopment, at left and right, as part of Terminal South. Google Maps

Terminal South's location near the BeltLine's Southside Trail corridor. Google Maps

Subtitle Tenant signings continue at Terminal South, where bus-rapid transit will meet the BeltLine

Neighborhood Peoplestown

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Decatur declared most bikeable city in Georgia Josh Green Mon, 01/29/2024 - 08:08 Anyone who hasn’t visited Decatur in a decade might be surprised to find a handy new cycle track on Church Street, some of ITP’s most pleasant bike lanes in front of Decatur High School, and rainbow-hued planter boxes that serve as an effective—if raggedy—buffer between cyclists, pedestrians, and cars.

But Redfin, for one, has taken notice.

The Seattle-based real estate brokerage and mortgage company has ranked Decatur atop its list of “The Top 10 Most Bikeable Cities in Georgia,” according to an analysis published Friday. It’s the second honor acknowledging Decatur’s burgeoning bike infrastructure in the past two years.

Cited as evidence in the Redfin study is Decatur’s Bike Score rating of 69—significantly higher than all other Georgia cities on the Top 10 shortlist. (The same can be said of Decatur’s median home sales price, $475,000, according to Redfin. A coincidence?)

“The city is home to several cyclist-friendly neighborhoods, like Oakhurst and Winnona Park,” wrote Redfin analysts of Decatur. “These areas contain bike lanes and plenty of attractions accessible by bike. Decatur also hosts the annual Decatur Bikes Festival, a popular event among the local cycling community.”

Decatur's much loved, admonished, and/or ridiculed planter boxes, as shown in greener days. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Overall, the Redfin rundown found that Georgia is “becoming a haven for cyclists” where the “increasingly popular mode of transportation and recreation” is catching on from “the bustling streets of Atlanta to the serene paths of Savannah.”

Speaking of, Savannah naturally finished strong in the analysis, landing at No. 2 with its 52 Bike Score. It was followed by Statesboro (Bike Score 48) and Valdosta (45).

According to Redfin, Atlanta qualified to rank only middle-of-the-pack at No. 5 among Georgia’s Top 10 most bikeable cities, all of them significantly smaller. The city’s Bike Score of 42 might not impress, but Redfin’s analysis nodded to the BeltLine, Piedmont Park, Ponce City Market, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and even the Silver Comet Trail as unique, bikeable attractions.

Thomasville, North Decatur, Rome, Forest Park, and Albany, respectively, rounded out the Top 10.

In December 2021, national cycling organization The League of American Bicyclists also declared Decatur the most bike-friendly city in the Peach State.

That organization named Decatur the only Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community in Georgia—a nod to cities that have implemented infrastructure improvements for cyclists and other means of alternate transportation.

Bike lanes are shown implemented in downtown Decatur's southwestern blocks. Shutterstock

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Decatur's much loved, admonished, and/or ridiculed planter boxes, as shown in greener days. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Bike lanes are shown implemented in downtown Decatur's southwestern blocks. Shutterstock

Subtitle Atlanta, meanwhile, is middle-of-the-pack on shortlist, according to Redfin analysis

Neighborhood Decatur

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Old office park reborn as apartments, offices, for-sale townhomes Josh Green Fri, 01/26/2024 - 14:40 Broadstone-branded apartment communities have popped up across the metro in recent years, but the latest example in Peachtree Corners—Gwinnett County’s “newest and fastest-growing city”—comes with a mixed-use twist, according to developers.  

Spread across 9.2 acres along Peachtree Parkway, Broadstone Peachtree Corners remade a standing office building and now includes the first public office spaces in the Broadstone portfolio.

The office component joins hundreds of new apartments and 26 for-sale townhomes next to Technology Park, a 500-acre tech hub about 20 miles north of Atlanta.

Amenities at Broadstone Peachtree Corners, which consumed a 9-acre site next to Technology Park. Alliance Residential Company; designs, Brock Hudgins Architects

Broadstone Peachtree Corners' 5672 Peachtree Parkway location OTP. Google Maps

According to developer Alliance Residential Company, the sprawling new complex was designed with today’s hybrid and remote workforce in mind. That’s evidenced by 20 for-rent offices on site—totaling 7,760 square feet, aimed at Broadstone residents and the general public—that Alliance has branded, “Second Story, A Private Office Collective.”

Ranging between 90 and 250 square feet, those offices are located on the second floor (naturally) of the community’s amenity building on Oak Harbor Drive. Features include a coworking lounge, private outdoor terrace, communal kitchen, and two conference rooms.

The main residential component, meanwhile, is a five-story apartment building that lords over Peachtree Parkway today.  

Broadstone Peachtree Corners’ 295 apartments range from 515-square-foot studios up to 1,170-square-foot two-bedroom units, with monthly rents between $1,549 and $2,570, according to Apartments.com.

Offices spaces, meanwhile, start at $600 per month. Townhome prices have yet to be listed.

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Amenities for residents include a resort-style pool, game lounge with golf simulator and putting green, a courtyard with grills and a fire pit, and the obligatory pet spa.

Another perk of the location is a planned 11-mile trail system called the Corners Connector nearby, developers have said.

Elsewhere, within Atlanta city limits, Alliance has delivered Broadstone-branded apartment projects in Summerhill, Kirkwood, Bolton, and most recently the eastern edge of downtown in recent years. Other Broadstone communities have popped up near the town centers of Norcross and Sugar Hill in Gwinnett, among other suburban locations.

Find a closer look at the metro’s latest Broadstone-branded project in the gallery above.

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5672 Peachtree Parkway Broadstone Peachtree Corners Alliance Residential Company Technology Park Mixed-Use Development Second Story townhomes Office Space Townhomes for sale Atlanta Townhomes Gwinnett County Homes Metro Atlanta Atlanta apartments

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Broadstone Peachtree Corners' 5672 Peachtree Parkway location OTP. Google Maps

Amenities at Broadstone Peachtree Corners, which consumed a 9-acre site next to Technology Park. Alliance Residential Company; designs, Brock Hudgins Architects

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Arrangement of the Second Story office component. Alliance Residential Company

Meeting space in the offices. Alliance Residential Company

A common area at the Broadstone Peachtree Corners offices. Alliance Residential Company

Subtitle Latest Broadstone-branded build arrives in Peachtree Corners, Gwinnett’s fastest-growing city

Neighborhood Peachtree Corners

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Christened 'The Melody,' homeless housing initiative opens today Josh Green Fri, 01/26/2024 - 09:51 Six months after it was announced, Atlanta’s first Rapid Housing community is slated to open today as a means of addressing the city’s chronic homeless population and leading people toward more sustainable lives.

According to a City of Atlanta announcement this morning, the project constructed of renovated shipping containers has been named “The Melody.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is scheduled to lead the pilot program’s ribbon-cutting alongside other dignitaries, kicking off what leaders call an innovative solution to unsheltered homelessness and a path toward permanent, quality living situations.

The former shipping containers are meant to provide temporary housing as service providers connect The Melody’s residents with help.

Hope Atlanta issued a job opening earlier this month for a resident-assistant position that would pay $1,000 monthly and include onsite housing at The Melody.

The latest rendering and a new time-lapse video show the project is gated, with communal greenspaces and ramp-accessed decks connecting the homes and an amenities building on what had been an underused parking lot. Twenty different containers are shown arranged around the site, positioned along downtown’s Forsyth Street next to MARTA's Garnett station.

Overview of container housing, greenspaces, and an amenities building at The Melody. The Beck Group; courtesy of City of Atlanta

Prior to construction, the Forsyth Street property in question is shown at right, with downtown's main business district ahead. Google Maps

All units will aim to provide low-barrier alternatives to traditional shelters with access to wraparound services such as healthcare and employment, per city officials. 

Many of the shipping containers were donated by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, following use as temporary COVID-19 hospital facilities.

But not everyone has applauded the city’s push for quick housing solutions.

The plans drew criticism last year from a pro-business group that believes Forsyth Street is the wrong location for a village of shipping containers, in that it’s a food desert with a high concentration of nightclubs.   

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Overview of container housing, greenspaces, and an amenities building at The Melody. The Beck Group; courtesy of City of Atlanta

Prior to construction, the Forsyth Street property in question is shown at right, with downtown's main business district ahead. Google Maps

Subtitle 20-container project marks Atlanta’s first rapid, temporary solution for unsheltered population

Neighborhood Downtown

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BREAKING: Peachtree Street affordable housing high-rise is a go Josh Green Fri, 01/26/2024 - 08:06 After nearly five years of planning, officials with a historic downtown Atlanta church have confirmed to Urbanize Atlanta their goal of creating a “God-sized vision” for inclusive high-rise housing is officially moving forward.

Phase one of the 360 Peachtree Street project led by Atlanta First United Methodist Church has entered permitting phases with the city, according to Rev. Jasmine R. Smothers, the congregation’s lead pastor.

“We are grateful that we’ve been able to move this project forward in the midst of high construction costs,” Smothers wrote to Urbanize Atlanta via email.

The most prominent facet of phase one will be a 20-story building with 170 units of housing, designed with a curving façade that follows a bend of Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, just south of the downtown Connector. 

The latest renderings illustrate how the phase-one tower will stand behind Atlanta First United Methodist Church (pictured at bottom left) along Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Beyond the residential portion, Smothers said phase one will include two new schools: Atlanta First Day School and a tuition-free school for homeless children.

Eighty-five percent of the apartments will be reserved as affordable housing, renting between 30, 60, and 80 percent of the area median income, according to the pastor.

“[Those] include some three-bedroom units so that families can live downtown!” Smothers wrote.

Permitting paperwork filed with the city for land development this week indicates 2,266 square feet of retail and a 72-vehicle parking deck are also in the phase-one mix. The two new schools will total just shy of 65,000 square feet, per that paperwork.  

Where phase one is planned to fit on the 1.8-acre property. Google Maps

Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Every iteration of Moody Nolan Atlanta-designed project renderings to date has indicated a larger high-rise building is planned for a future phase, consuming a parking lot at the church property’s southern edge.

The news comes nearly a year and ½ after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking at the church for the Faith-Based Development Initiative, which also served to commemorate the congregation’s 175th anniversary in Atlanta.

Church leaders first made headlines in 2019 by issuing a Request for Proposals that challenged developers to help them create stacked affordable housing on 1.8 acres next to the gothic-style sanctuary from 1903. Situated between Peachtree and West Peachtree streets, the land in question is currently home to pay parking lots, an unused outbuilding, and an education building, Atlanta UMC leadership has previously said.

Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Atlanta UMC’s development task force unanimously approved a joint venture in 2021 with Chicago-based nonprofit developer Evergreen Real Estate Group, citing that company’s track record of mission-driven, community-focused projects in urban environments.

Smothers credited the mayor’s office, the city’s Housing Office, Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs with helping set phase one in motion.

In the gallery above, find more context and visuals.

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The latest renderings illustrate how the phase-one tower will stand behind Atlanta First United Methodist Church (pictured at bottom left) along Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

The church's 360 Peachtree Street location in relation to other downtown landmarks. Google Maps

Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

A second, future phase is depicted to the left of the phase-one building. Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Moody Nolan Atlanta; courtesy of Atlanta First United Methodist Church

Where phase one is planned to fit on the 1.8-acre property. Google Maps

The 1903 gothic-style sanctuary on Peachtree Street today. Google Maps

Subtitle Historic downtown church's plans call for 170 apartments, two new schools

Neighborhood Downtown

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Compete Street overhaul of major Buckhead artery has begun Josh Green Thu, 01/25/2024 - 15:29 A Complete Street project in the pipeline since before President Barrack Obama’s first term is gearing up to actually start happening—with growing pains for Buckhead motorists expected in the short term.

Plans for the Piedmont Road Complete Street project were first cooked up by the Buckhead Community Improvement District as part of the 2008 Piedmont Area Transportation Plan.

After 15 years and the completion of designs by Croy Engineering, Buckhead CID officials report this week the Complete Streets overhaul is officially underway.

The Piedmont Road blocks in question span from Peachtree Road to Lenox Road, a section of central Buckhead where high-rise office and multifamily developments such as Terminus and Modera Prominence have brought hundreds of new residents in recent years.

The project’s goal, according to Buckhead CID, is twofold: to enhance pedestrian and cycling mobility on Piedmont Road while also expanding the street to improve traffic flow.

That means Piedmont Road will be widened to three vehicle lanes in each direction, with a new dedicated left turn lane installed.

Buckhead CID

Georgia Power plans to finish relocating four large transmission poles along Piedmont Road by the end of January, a process that started last fall, according to Buckhead CID.

Following that, Georgia Power will relocate above-ground distribution lines currently attached to wood poles and bury them underground, hopefully setting a new precedent for every major Atlanta construction project to come.

Burying the power-lines is scheduled to start next month and wrap up in March.

Following that, sometime in March, the process of widening Piedmont Road and installing an eight to 10-foot-wide, multi-use path will begin, per Buckhead CID estimates.

Georgia Power's ongoing work to relocate Piedmont Road transmission poles. Buckhead CID

Looking west from over Peachtree Road, the section of Piedmont Road where Complete Street alternations are now being implemented. Buckhead CID

For non-motorists, the project should serve as a safer link between the nearby Peachtree Road Complete Street and Buckhead’s growing multi-use trail, PATH400.

But first come those growing pains.

Buckhead CID is forecasting the area between Peachtree and Lenox roads will see a “significantly increase in traffic congestion and... major disruptions to businesses and buildings along Piedmont Road” in coming months. They’re strongly advising—and in fact, incentivizing—drivers to avoid Piedmont Road between the two busy thoroughfares during construction.

Alternate routes include Ga. Highway 400 north/south and local roadways such as Roswell, Peachtree, and Habersham roads, as well as Tower Place Drive.

Overview of the central Buckhead area in question. Buckhead CID

Officials are also advising Buckhead dwellers to consider alternate means of getting around—MARTA transit, rideshare, walking, biking, and scooters—for the duration of construction.

For the foreseeable future, expect lane closures—one lane at a time, per project officials—daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. No timeline estimate for project completion was provided this week.

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Overview of the central Buckhead area in question. Buckhead CID

Buckhead CID

Looking west from over Peachtree Road, the section of Piedmont Road where Complete Street alternations are now being implemented. Buckhead CID

Georgia Power's ongoing work to relocate Piedmont Road transmission poles. Buckhead CID

Subtitle Officials urge motorists to avoid Piedmont Road section during weekdays—or else

Neighborhood Buckhead

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At Beacon district, motorcycle club aims to redo underused building Josh Green Thu, 01/25/2024 - 13:34 Plans are revving up to transform a storage facility at Grant Park’s popular The Beacon food-and-beverage district into a private motorcycle club and retail store.

Billed as a DIY moto hub with merch and coffee, Bonus Family Garage is seeking a special use permit to remake a building behind Eventide Brewing at 1015 Grant St. into public-accessible retail and a tool-stocked private club, where motorcycle enthusiasts can “form community, take classes, and meet like-minded individuals” while getting their hands dirty working on bikes.

That’s according to the Grant Park Neighborhood Association. The association and NPU-W’s land use and zoning committees are expected to consider Bonus Family Garage’s plans for rezoning the Grant Street property from Heavy Industrial to Private Club uses at meetings tonight.

It's the second news item in a week involving motorcycles and related retail at a former Atlanta warehouse district, following U.K.-based Triumph Motorcycles’ announcement that its North American headquarters will set up shop at West End’s Lee + White this year.

Bonus Family Garage specifies on its website the goal is to open the club and retail space sometime in 2024 at the .95-acre property. According to the company, the two spaces will be separated by a locked, fire-rated door, with only members allowed into the club.

The 1015 Grant St. SE Unit B building in question. Google Maps

Plans call for the concept to be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., accessed through an existing driveway next to the brewery.

According to an application filed with the city by Bonus Family Garage CEO Miles Sager, the retail-club combo would transform what’s currently a 1,579-square-foot building zoned for storage. “We believe that transforming this portion of our property into a private club will enhance the overall experience for our members, fostering a sense of community,” wrote Sager.

The two-lane access point beside Eventide Brewery to Bonus Family Garage's proposed motorcycle club and store. Google Maps

“Social Member” access for “moto-curious” Atlantans and their friends will start at $12 monthly. But for daily access to the shop’s lifts and tools, plus technical support and events like members-only group rides, along with other perks, Tier I memberships will start at $30 monthly, according to Bonus Family Garage’s business plan.

Following the Grant Park hearings, the City of Atlanta’s Zoning Review Board is expected to review the concept at a meeting in March.

The section of the Grant Street property in question (in red). City of Atlanta Office and Zoning Development/GPNA

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The two-lane access point beside Eventide Brewery to Bonus Family Garage's proposed motorcycle club and store. Google Maps

The 1015 Grant St. SE Unit B building in question. Google Maps

The section of the Grant Street property in question (in red). City of Atlanta Office and Zoning Development/GPNA

Subtitle Bonus Family Garage’s plans call for private club, retail tucked behind brewery

Neighborhood Grant Park

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